2025_12_28 Standing Strong in a Spiritual Battle

So, how do we tap into that strength? Next part is you have to choose. You have to choose to rely on his strength. There's a daily dependence. Lord, I cannot fight today without you. It's a choice that you have to make. So, what do we do? Maybe you start every morning with surrender. Now, there's a term military guys don't like to use much. Surrender. But in this context, we're surrendering to God, not to the enemy. There's a big difference. Surrendering to God and not the enemy. Trying to fight every battle and do everything on your own. How's that working for you? [00:32:45] (44 seconds)  #ChooseDailySurrender

So, in the spiritual battlefield, the enemy is the devil. And he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The enemy is real. A lot of people don't think that, you know. But the enemy is real. And, you know, the enemy is not people. Because it says it's not against flesh and blood. It's not politics. It's not circumstances. But it's spiritual forces opposed to Christ. [00:36:49] (30 seconds)  #EnemyIsRealNotPeople

The battle is personal. You know, the King James Version says we wrestle. When he was talking about struggle, it's not against. Wrestle is very intimate, isn't it? When you wrestle somebody, I mean, you're close. Satan can attack your mind, your identity, your relationships, your confidence, and your purity. He schemes. He's a schemer. [00:37:20] (28 seconds)  #BattleIsPersonalWrestleSpirit

Because standing requires preparation and proper equipment, so that you can take your stand against the devil's scheme. Stand your ground and stand firm. So the armor must be worn intentionally. It doesn't come on automatically. We have to put it on. Each piece complements each other. And it does no good if the armor remains in the supply room collecting dust. [00:37:57] (30 seconds)  #PutOnTheArmorIntentionally

When conflict or a difficult life situation comes up, you name it, injury, illness, anger, violence, betrayal, loneliness, we need to pause and say, You know, this person is not my enemy. Lord, help me to see what's really happening in this situation. And that can be a powerful prayer. [00:38:29] (23 seconds)  #SeePeopleNotTheEnemy

So the application there, what do we do? We can combat negative thoughts with the gospel truth, but we also need to worship through it. You can do it in your car. You can do it on your walks while you're taking the dog out. You can worship through it. I think that's a good one. If you don't take anything away from this, take that one with you. Lord, I'm going to worship through this issue that I'm dealing with. [00:56:10] (26 seconds)  #WorshipThroughTheStruggle

Praying always with all prayer and supplication. Prayer activates the armor. Prayer activates the armor. Without prayer, the armor is just theory, not power. Prayer is what empowers the armor. And prayer keeps you connected to your commander. Communication is essential on any battlefield. [00:58:17] (25 seconds)  #PrayerActivatesArmor

So in conclusion, we need to stand firm. That last song we sang was talking about standing firm in Jesus. Paul doesn't say charge. He says stand. Stand in the truth. Stand in righteousness. Stand in peace. Stand in faith. Stand in salvation. Stand in the Word. And stand in prayer. [01:00:11] (23 seconds)  #StandFirmInFaith